Ally Condie did so many things well in The Unwedding, a Reese’s Book Club selection, that I didn’t expect to have any criticism. The short, crisp chapters and hook endings propel the reader through the story of Ellery Wainwright, who reluctantly takes a solo trip to the Broken Point resort in Big Sur, a trip she was supposed to take with her husband to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.
That was before Luke asked Ellery for a divorce and took up with a girlfriend.
Condie does an excellent job of depicting a blindsided woman who had maintained hope despite mounting warning signs her marriage was beyond repair. She also perfectly captures a setting I know well: Big Sur resorts and the destructive storms that too often wipe out roads and communication in the area. In The Unwedding, a storm at Broken Point echoes the tempest within as Ellery, unmoored by her husband’s actions, also remains guilt-ridden by a past tragedy.
Isolated from her family and best friend because of the torrential rain, Ellery is alone at a resort where, compounding her heartache, a big wedding is about to begin.
When Ellery discovers a dead body, she thinks, not again. But as a fellow guest warns, there is never just one murder.
Brava to Condie for creating a page-turning mystery. She left enough clues to make the eventual reveal of a murderer feasible. But a few chapters later, when what appears to be an abrupt continuity error occurs and is followed by a lot of conjecture, I was thrown out of the story.
Despite its messy third act, I still recommend The Unwedding. See if you reach the same conclusion I did.
Happy reading!
Ariella Moon
